MODIS Ocean Bioproductivity 

This visualization, derived using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), shows a daily running weighted 31-day average of sea surface chlorophyll from January 2010 through May 2016. The MODIS data have been smoothed with a spatial filter to fill in areas of missing data caused by clouds. Chlorophyll is a proxy for phytoplankton abundance. Phytoplankton are microscopic algae: primary producers that turn sunlight into chemical energy that supports the ocean food web. Like plants on land, phytoplankton need sunlight and nutrients to bloom. The main source of ocean nutrients comes from cold, deep ocean water that wells up to the surface, called upwelling. The circulation of the ocean and atmosphere determine where nutrients upwell. Areas of upwelling, and thus phytoplankton productivity, include the subpolar gyres, along the equator, along the west coast of continents, along western boundary currents (e.g., Gulf Stream) and near islands. Other sources of nutrients include run-off from land and atmospheric deposition of minerals. Phytoplankton bloom patterns change with short-term weather systems, with the seasons, and with longer-term climate patterns such as El Niño. Ocean color satellite data such as these allow scientists to study global phytoplankton distribution, crucial for understanding the differences between long-term trends caused by natural oscillations and anthropogenic climate changes (i.e., ocean warming, stratification, acidification). 


For more information, visit: oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov 

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